Table 1.7, [An example of a classification of epilepsy syndromes]. - The Epilepsies

Groups of syndromes	Specific syndromes
Idiopathic focal epilepsies of infancy and childhood	Benign infantile seizures (nonfamilial)
Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes
Early-onset benign childhood occipital epilepsy (Panayiotopoulos type)
Late-onset childhood occipital epilepsy (Gastaut type)
Familial (autosomal dominant) focal epilepsies	Benign familial neonatal seizures
Benign familial infantile seizures
Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy
Familial temporal lobe epilepsy
Familial focal epilepsy with variable foci^a
Symptomatic and probably symptomatic focal epilepsies	Limbic epilepsies
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy defined by specific etiologies
Other types defined by location and etiology
Neocortical epilepsies
Rasmussen syndrome
Hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia syndrome
Other types defined by location and etiology
Migrating partial seizures of early infancy^a
Idiopathic generalized epilepsies	Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy
Epilepsy with myoclonic astatic seizures
Childhood absence epilepsy
Epilepsy with myoclonic absences
Idiopathic generalized epilepsies with variable phenotypes
Juvenile absence epilepsy
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
Epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures only
Generalized epilepsies with febrile seizures plus^a
Reflex epilepsies	Idiopathic photosensitive occipital lobe epilepsy
Other visual sensitive epilepsies
Primary reading epilepsy
Startle epilepsy
Epileptic encephalopathies (in which the epileptiform abnormalities may contribute to progressive dysfunction)	Early myoclonic encephalopathy
Ohtahara syndrome
West syndrome
Dravet syndrome (previously known as severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy)
Myoclonic status in nonprogressive encephalopathies^a
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
Landau-Kleffner syndrome
Epilepsy with continuous spike-waves during slow-wave sleep
Progressive myoclonus epilepsies	See specific diseases
Seizures not necessarily requiring a diagnosis of epilepsy	Benign neonatal seizures
Febrile seizures
Reflex seizures
Alcohol-withdrawal seizures
Drug or other chemically induced seizures
Immediate and early post traumatic seizures
Single seizures or isolated clusters of seizures
Rarely repeated seizures (oligoepilepsy)

Groups of syndromes

Specific syndromes

Idiopathic focal epilepsies of infancy and childhood

Benign infantile seizures (nonfamilial)

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes

Early-onset benign childhood occipital epilepsy (Panayiotopoulos type)

Late-onset childhood occipital epilepsy (Gastaut type)

Familial (autosomal dominant) focal epilepsies

Benign familial neonatal seizures

Benign familial infantile seizures

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy

Familial temporal lobe epilepsy

Familial focal epilepsy with variable foci^a

Symptomatic and probably symptomatic focal epilepsies

Limbic epilepsies

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy defined by specific etiologies

Other types defined by location and etiology

Neocortical epilepsies

Rasmussen syndrome

Hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia syndrome

Other types defined by location and etiology

Migrating partial seizures of early infancy^a

Idiopathic generalized epilepsies

Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy

Epilepsy with myoclonic astatic seizures

Childhood absence epilepsy

Epilepsy with myoclonic absences

Idiopathic generalized epilepsies with variable phenotypes

Juvenile absence epilepsy

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures only

Generalized epilepsies with febrile seizures plus^a

Reflex epilepsies

Idiopathic photosensitive occipital lobe epilepsy

Other visual sensitive epilepsies

Primary reading epilepsy

Startle epilepsy

Epileptic encephalopathies
(in which the epileptiform abnormalities may contribute to progressive dysfunction)

Early myoclonic encephalopathy

Ohtahara syndrome

West syndrome

Dravet syndrome (previously known as severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy)

Myoclonic status in nonprogressive encephalopathies^a

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Landau-Kleffner syndrome

Epilepsy with continuous spike-waves during slow-wave sleep

Progressive myoclonus epilepsies

See specific diseases

Seizures not necessarily requiring a diagnosis of epilepsy

Benign neonatal seizures

Febrile seizures

Reflex seizures

Alcohol-withdrawal seizures

Drug or other chemically induced seizures

Immediate and early post traumatic seizures

Single seizures or isolated clusters of seizures

Rarely repeated seizures (oligoepilepsy)

From: Chapter 1, Clinical Aspects of the Diagnosis of Epileptic Seizures and Epileptic Syndromes

The Epilepsies: Seizures, Syndromes and Management.

Panayiotopoulos CP.

Oxfordshire (UK): Bladon Medical Publishing; 2005.

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